Marauders, From the Beginning
by EmeraldOwl
Summary: Starting from year one all the way through year seven. The story of the marauders friendship, Lily's friendship with Severus, and her eventual relationship with James. Love, friendship, heartbreak, betrayal. How everything started. R&R Please!
1. Just How Special

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP**

**Chapter One: Just How Special**

"A freak, you're a freak, Lily!" yelled a small, dark haired, pointed face girl.

"I'm not a freak, Petunia!" Lily screamed back with tears in her eyes. "I can't help it that I can do strange things."

"Whatever, I'm going to tell Mummy!" Petunia yelled. She turned on her heels and ran as fast as her little legs would allow her to the small house in the distance.

"Petunia, please don't!" Lily screamed after her. The screaming was useless, it was too late. Petunia was already out of sight. Lily had been trying to keep the strange happenings to herself, she had only told one other person before today. She knew it'd be a mistake to show Petunia. Lily put her hands over her eyes, her blazing red hair falling over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, she's only jealous," a soft boyish voice sad behind her.

Lily jumped a little at the sound, but turned to look at the pale familiar face, his slick black hair falling almost to his shoulders. "That's mean, Severus," she said with a smile.

"But it's true, she's ordinary and you're special." Severus said with a smile. "Come on, let's go down by the lake and play. It is a special day after all."

Lily's cheeks turned pink with excitement. He remembered! "Really, and why is that?"

"Why, Lily Evans, don't tell me you've forgotten it's your birthday today!" Severus said with a crooked smile, "it's not everyday you turn eleven you know."

Lily bounced in excitement, "what have you got planned, Severus?"

Severus smiled and grabbed her hand, "you'll just have to come with me and see." He told her, and together they ran through the open field.

Lily stumbled to the ground in front of the lake, laughing so hard she couldn't breath. "Oh, Severus I love this place!" Lily exclaimed through giggles, "it's so beautiful." She collapsed to the ground and rolled over on her back.

Severus grinned and lay down beside her. He took her hand and told her, "Lily, you honestly have no idea how special you are yet. Today really is a very special day."

"What on earth are you talking about, Sev?" Lily said with a smile.

"You'll find out soon enough, I know you will." Severus said in a matter-of-fact tone, "but for now, close your eyes."

Lily gave him a look, but did as she was told. She trusted Severus, he was her best friend and had been for her entire life. Their whole life he had been telling her that she was special, just like him. That she was different from her sister and her family. She knew he was always talking about the strange things both of them could do, but Lily Evans had no idea just how different she was.

"Alright then, open your eyes Lily," Severus said gently and squeezed her hand.

Lily giggled and fluttered her eyes open. There were lilies flying around the entire lake, flapping their pedals as if they were wings. "Oh Severus, that's extraordinary!" Lily exclaimed as she hopped on her feet. Laughing excitingly she danced in the flying lilies.

"Happy Birthday, Lily." Severus said with a smile. Lily grabbed both of his hands and spun both of them in circles. They spun and laughed until the inside of their heads were spinning as well. They collapsed back on the ground in fits of laughter, their head still spinning.

For a long time they laid just like that, on their backs in a patch of grass. A hoot brought them back to reality. They sat up and watched as a barn owl came flying towards them. At first Severus thought it might be his, and was a little worried. He hadn't told Lily that he knew he was actually a wizard. As the owl got closer he recognized it as the same type of owl that had brought him his Hogwarts acceptance letter just a few weeks ago. This made him smile brightly. He knew why the owl was here.

The small barn owl perched itself on the ground right beside Lily, a creamed colored envelope in it's beak. "Well that's a little strange isn't it?" Lily said curiously as she took the letter from the owl. "Goodness, it's addressed to me!"

"Well go ahead, open it!" Severus encouraged her.

"You don't seem very surprised by this, Sev." Lily looked at him strangely.

"I told you that you would find out just how special you were," Severus explained slowly, "and that letter will explain."

Lily was very confused, but she opened the letter nonetheless. She read out loud,

"Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress"

Lily squealed with excitement, "I'm a witch!" Lily flung her arms around Severus in a hug, "and you knew didn't you? All this time?"

Severus smiled at her, "I sure did, and I'm a wizard. Lily, we're going to be going to Hogwarts together!"

Lily laughed, and everything made sense to her at that moment. "You will come help me explain this to my parents, won't you?"

Severus thought for a minute, and nodded his head. Her parents seemed to like him well enough, he had known them his whole life after all. "Of course, anything for you, Lily." He stood up and held his hand out to her, and together they ran towards the small house in the distance that Petunia had ran to hours before.

**A/N: As you may have noticed, I took this scene from Snape's memories in the Deathly Hallows. I just couldn't resist, it seemed like the perfect place to start everything. I am going to try and go by how the Marauder's story was generally described in Harry Potter. I was really happy with this and I hope you will be too! Review please!**


	2. First Train Ride

**Chapter Two: First Train Ride**

"Mum! Dad! Hurry up, I want to find a good seat!" an excited skinny dark haired boy with glasses was shouting as he charged through the crowds of people at Kings Cross Station.

"Now, James Potter, you had better settle down," said an older man with the same black messy hair as the boy.

"But Dad, you are going to slow, and it's my first year of Hogwarts!" The James yelled, looking at his father as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Alright darling, you have everything you need?" asked a skinny redheaded woman about a head shorter than the boy's father.

"Yes, Mum, we've went through everything about a million times." James said with a roll of his eyes.

"Okay, here we are," Mr. Potter said as they approached a wall, "Platform 9 ¾."

James jumped up and down in excitement, "so I just run through?"

"You just run through." Mr. Potter stated with a nod of his head and a twinkle in his eyes.

James gave his parents a lopsided grin and bolted straight towards the wall as fast as his legs would carry him. Forgetting to open his eyes, James ran right into a figure that was similar to his own.

"Oi, Potter, watch where you're bloody going!" laughed a boy with light brown curly hair.

"Sirius!" James exclaimed in surprise, "sorry about that, mate. I suppose I got a bit excited."

"Happens to the best of us, son," laughed Mr. Potter as he slapped James on the shoulder. "Hello, Sirius, you doing well?"

Sirius snorted, "about as well as I can living with the Blacks."

James shook his head at his cousin, and best friend, "sorry about that, mate, but look at the bright side. We're going to Hogwarts! Where you won't have to worry about you're stupid git of a mother."

"James! I do not want to hear that language come out of your mouth!" scowled Mrs. Potter.

"Sorry, Mum." James mumbled sheepishly.

"Alright sweetie, come give me a hug and get your butt on the train." Mrs. Potter said with a bright smile. "I'm so excited for you. You both are going to absolutely love Hogwarts!"

James hugged his mother and father, "love you guys! I'll write you tonight once we're all settled in!" He promised as him and Sirius boarded the train and waved at them. "Alright, mate, now to find a seat."

James and Sirius looked in every compartment, but none of them seemed to be empty. As they made their way to the back of the train they noticed one compartment that seemed to be inhabited by one other boy about the same age as them with shaggy ash blonde hair. James slid the door open, "excuse me? My name is James Potter and this is Sirius Black, all of the other compartments seem to be full. Would you mind if we sit here?" James asked very politely.

The boy fidgeted a bit with his fingers and nodded his head nervously, "Umm, yeah, sure," he mumbled, "my name is Remus. Remus Lupin."

"Hello, Remus. No need to be shy, me and Jamie here won't bite." Sirius laughed as he sat across from Remus. Surprisingly this seemed to make Remus even more nervous. Sirius and James shared a sideways glance but shrugged it off and made themselves comfortable for the train ride.

"So, Remus, what house are you wanting to be sorted in to?" James asked him casually, "I'm aiming for Gryffindor myself. 'Course I'm not worried, bravery runs in the family."

Remus couldn't help but snort at James's ego, "well Gryffindor would be nice, or Ravenclaw." Remus nodded, his nerves calming down a bit. "What about you, Sirius?"

"Ugh, anything but Slytherin," Sirius said with disgust, "all that would do is make dear ol' Mummy proud, and who would want that?"

Remus tilted his head and looked at Sirius with a puzzled expression. James noticed Remus's confusion and said to him, "Sirius has Mummy issues. 'Course who could blame him being in the Black family? His mother is absolutely horrid!"

"I've heard the Black family isn't exactly the nicest of people, but you don't seem to be like that, Sirius," Remus said, still fidgeting with his hands.

"Oh, thank you! Anything to be the opposite of my wretched _family,_" Sirius said with disgust, "truth is I don't know how I would have survived living with them if it wasn't for James here. He's kept me sane through the years."

"Oh, you two are related?" Remus asked.

"Sirius here is my second cousin, he's the only one of the Blacks I'd claim." James explained to Remus, "we've been friends for as long as I can remember. Against his parents wishes of course."

The boys turned as they heard a knock on the door and an elderly lady slid open the compartment door, "excuse me, could I sit here? Everywhere else is full," squeaked a small chubby boy.

All three of the boys nodded and made room for the chubby boy, "what's your name?" James asked him.

"Peter Pettigrew," the boy squeaked nervously.

An elder lady walked up to their compartment door, "anything from the trolly, dearies?"

James and Sirius jumped up right away and started picking their favorite treats, sharing their sweets with Remus and Sirius. The four boys talked of Quidditch and what they were expecting when they got to the castle their whole way to Hogwarts.

**A few compartments over...**

"Oh, Severus, I'm so excited!" Squealed Lily as she bounced in her seat on the Hogwarts Express. "Aren't you just so excited?"

Severus smiled at his best friend, delighted to see her so happy. "Of course I'm excited Lily, I just hope we're in the same house." Of course, Severus knew there was a very good possibility they wouldn't be. His whole family had been in Slytherin for generations, and his parents expected nothing less of him. He looked at Lily and knew there was no way his sweet Lily could be placed in Slytherin house.

"What do you mean, house?" Lily asked him in confusion.

Severus looked back at her in confusion for a moment, and then remembered Lily knew nothing of Hogwarts except what he told her. "Oh, right I haven't mentioned the houses to you yet. Well you're going to be sorted into a certain house which you will live in and be a part of all your seven years at Hogwarts. There are four houses; Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor."

"What are the differences between the four?" Lily asked, listening intently to her best friend.

"Well, you're sorted depending on you're traits. It'll all be explained when we get there, I promise." Severus gave Lily a reassuring smile.

"Okay, fine, but tell me more about the different classes and about the magic I'll use with my new wand!" Lily urged him excitingly. Severus laughed at his best friend and nodded, continuing to explain the wonders of magic and Hogwarts through their train ride.

**A/N: This chapter seemed a little rushed to me, but I hope you guys like it. I don't have many readers, or if I do you guys aren't really reviewing. I really would love it if you guys would review more! If I don't get reviews then it doesn't seem like anybody is reading it and it makes me not want to write it anymore. Give me constructive criticism guys, I love it!**


	3. The Sorting

**A/N: Hey you guys, thanks you to everyone who reviewed! Everyone has been a really great help with their comments and messages. Keep them coming!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP  
**

**Chapter 3: The Sorting**

"Firs' years, this way!" a booming voice shouted over the crowd of students in black robes. "Firs' years follow me!"

Lily Evans clutched Severus's arm with a gasp, "is that a _man_?" she hissed in his ear, "he's _huge_!"

Severus chuckled and rubbed Lily's arm reassuringly, "Lily, now that is rude. I'm sure he doesn't go 'is that a _girl_? She's so _tiny_!'"

Lily giggled and gave her best friend a slight slap on the shoulder, "oh hush, but really what is he?"

Severus looked at the man for a moment and shrugged, "I'm guessing he's half giant. I'm not really sure though, I've never met one."

"_Half_ giant?" Lily gasped, "how big is a full giant?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders, "I think my mum told me they get to be about 20 feet tall."

"Goodness!" Lily gasped in disbelief. She gave her head a shake and followed the big man, keeping her distance. "So your mum is a witch then?"

Severus gave his head a nod, "yep, and my dad is a muggle." He looked at Lily and noticed the confused expression on her face, "muggle is a term that is referring to people that aren't magical."

Lily nodded her head, soaking in all the knowledge she could. "So what house was your mum in?"

Letting out a sigh Severus tilted his head and mumbled, "Slytherin."

"Oh, and is that the house you would like to be in then?" Lily asked him, not sure of the differences between the houses yet.

Severus shrugged his shoulders at Lily, "I suppose I wouldn't mind. My mum wants me to be in Slytherin. My dad hasn't given it much thought seeing as he never went to Hogwarts."

Lily nodded her head and remained silent as they loaded up in boats. Seeing as Lily wanted to keep her distance from the half giant man it seemed almost all of the carriages were full. Severus and Lily approached the man hesitantly.

"Well 'ello there!" His booming voice said excitingly, "there's no need to be scared. I wouldn' hurt a fly, no' me! Me name's Hagrid."

"L-Lily." stuttering her name quietly Lily looked around at the boats. It seemed there were only two left that had available seats, and neither of them had room for both her and Severus.

"Lily, you said? You can come sit with us!" a very excited voice shouted. Lily looked over and saw that a boy with messy jet black hair and glasses was the one yelling at her. She gave Severus a look, but he merely nodded.

Lily gave her best friend a weak smile and walked over towards the boat that held three other boys in it. "My name is James Potter." The boy with messy black hair introduced himself, "this is Sirius Black," he pointed at a boy with light curly brown hair, "Remus Lupin," a boy with shaggy ash blonde hair, "and Peter Pettigrew," a short rather pudgy rat looking boy.

Lily waved at them all nervously, "I'm Lily Evans." Looking behind her she saw Severus looking rather lonely sitting beside Hagrid. She frowned and felt guilty for having to abandon her best friend.

"So, Lily," James began, "what house do you think you will be sorted into?"

"Oh, well, I don't really know." Lily admitted with a blush, "I only found out I was a witch a few weeks ago."

"Oh, so you're a muggleborn!" The boy names Sirius exclaimed, "good, we're going to be really good friends then."

Lily gave him a confused look, which James just shook his head at. "Ignore him, he doesn't know what he's talking about half the time."

"Speak for yourself, Potter!" Sirius laughed, "Oh, look there." He pointed towards the lights, and beyond the horizon a huge castle appeared.

Lily couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. She had never seen anything like it before, it was extraordinary. "It's beautiful," was all she could say.

As they floated up to shore the boats slowly came to a stop. James stepped on shore first and offered his hand to Lily for help. She mumbled a thank you with pink cheeks and turned to find Severus. "I'll see you late, Lily." James waved at her and walked away with his group of friends.

Lily waved back and walked towards Severus, "how was your boat ride?"

Severus looked down, "alright I suppose. It seemed like you enjoyed yours."

Lily shrugged as they walked towards the castle, "they seem like a silly bunch of boys, don't they?"

"They seem like they're going to be trouble." Severus sneered through his scowl.

"Now Sev, come one. We're going to make lots of friends, I know it!" Lily said excitingly as they walked through the castle doors. She stared in awe at the moving portraits and never ending stairs.

The group of first years stopped in front of a tall skinny woman dressed in green robes and a pointed hat. She smiled at the students and greeted them, "hello first years, and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Professor McGonagall," she motioned to the doors behind her, "through these doors you will be greeted with a feast, but first you will be sorted into a house. You're house will be your home these next seven years at Hogwarts. You will also be competing for the House Cup. Good behavior will earn you points, but any rule breaking will result in losing points. Any questions?" The group of students remained silent, too excited to speak. "Alright, follow me."

The group of first years scurried through the door that led into the Great Hall. The ceiling looked as if it was the night sky that went on forever. Hundreds of students sat in four different tables, all with different colored robes; red, green, blue, and yellow. Lily could only guess they were the colors that signified the different houses.

Professor McGonagall stopped in beside a stool where an old, dusty looking hat sat. Lily tilted her head with curiosity as the stitching on the hat broke and formed into eyes and a mouth. To her surprise, it started to sing, (A/N: I used the song from the first HP book because I just could not come up with a Sorting Hat song on my own.)

"Oh,you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your tops hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell brave of heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achive their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And you won't get in a flap!  
You're safe in my hands, though I have none  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The room erupted in applause as the Sorting Hat's song ended. Lily smiled in amusement, everything just sounded wonderful! She remained quiet as she saw Professor McGonagall put up a hand as to silence everyone. In her hand was a scroll that's end fell to the floor. One by one she called a name on the list, and one by one each student sat on the stool and got sorted into their house.

"Sirius Black!"

With a gulp Sirius took a step towards the stool. He sat down nervously as McGonagall put the oversized hat on his head.

"Ah, a Black is it?" whispered the hat in his ear, "you're not like the others are you? No, you're a rebellious one. The rest of your family did great in Slytherin you know-"

"NO!" Sirius almost yelled, "anything but Slytherin."

"You're right, my friend, Slytherin doesn't suit you." The Sorting Hat seemed to be contemplating where to place him. After what seemed like ages he announced, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Slytherin table remained silent, but the Gryffindor table erupted in applause. Sirius couldn't keep the sly grin off of his face, his mother was going to want him murdered. Sirius caught James's eye and gave him a thumbs up.

About twenty minutes past and many names were called. Remus and Peter had joined Sirius at the Gryffindor table, and the huge group of first years had now shrunk to just a handful.

"James Potter!"

With a confident smirk James approached the Sorting Hat. As the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, there wasn't a doubt in James Potter's mind that he was going to be sorted into Gryffindor. "Confident are we?" whispered the hat, "I sense some arrogance in you, that could be your downfall, boy. Nevertheless, GRYFFINDOR!"

James smiled brightly as the hat was removed from his head, "piece of cake," he muttered as he walked to the Gryffindor table in a stride, "hello boy." James greeted his friends with a smirk.

"Lily Evans!"

At the sound of her name, Lily felt her cheeks grow warm. As she approached the Sorting Hat many worrisome thoughts were going through her mind. What if she wasn't good enough to be in any of the houses? Or maybe there was a mistake and Lily wasn't a witch after all. Lily's cheeks grew pinker after every worrisome thought.

"Ah, nervous are we?" whispered the Sorting Hat, "there's no need for that. You're a bright one, you are. You'd fit perfectly in Ravenclaw. Perhaps, though, that is not where your destiny lies. No, Ravenclaw will not do. GRYFFINDOR!"

The word echoed in Severus's head. _Gryffindor_. There was no way he was going to be placed in that house. He wasn't brave, or smart really. He knew where is fate lied, Slytherin. Severus let out a defeated sigh as he watched his red headed best friend walk towards the table that was filled with robes of red. Where she would fit in perfectly. Severus was in such a daze he almost didn't hear his name when it was called.

"Severus Snape!"

Almost lifelessly Severus walked towards the stool and sat down. If the Sorting Hat whispered anything in his ear, he didn't ear it. He didn't have to hear anything, he knew where he was going to be placed. In confirmation to his belief the Sorting Hat bellowed, "SLYTHERIN!"


	4. First Day as Hogwarts Students

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed! It really is motivating me to continue this story. I'm working on a Dramoine one right now, so when it's up please take a look at it! :) And of course, I sadly do not own HP.**

**Chapter Four: First Day as Hogwarts Students**

Lily awoke the next morning full of energy. She hurriedly gathered her new Gryffindor robes together and sprinted towards the showers.

Stepping out of the showers, Lily dressed quickly and stopped to look at her reflection in the mirror. She was so excited to learn magic, and so impatient. Thinking hard, Lily tried to remember a spell she had read about from a book that Severus had given her. It was a drying spell.

A light went off in Lily's head as she remembered it, grabbing her new wand Lily pointed it towards her hair and whispered clearly, "exaresco." Instantly a gust of wind seemed to make its way through every inch of Lily's hair, and it fell gracefully down her back in red curls.

"Impressive."

Lily turned quickly, startled. She came face to face with a light skinned girl with dark brown hair that fell straight down her back, "you scared me," Lily heaved in a sigh.

"Sorry about that, you're Lily right?" the blonde girl asked, "I'm Mary. Mary MacDonald."

Lily smiled, "yeah, nice to meet you."

"So, you must come from a pureblood magical family to already be doing that kind of magic, right?"

"No, actually I'm Muggle-Born," Lily replied, excited to use a new wizarding word that she had learned from Severus.

Mary seemed surprised, "Really? Well I'm a Half-Blood myself. It's kind of mixed around in my family."

The two girls talked easily as they made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Lily's green eyes scanned the Slytherin table, looking for Severus. When she caught his eyes she waved at him with a bright smile.

* * *

"Oi! Sirius, wake up!" James yelled as he stepped out of the showers, fully dressed, only to find his best friend still sleeping soundly.

"Here, take this," Remus handed James a rather large red pillow.

James balanced it in his hands, "oh, perfect," and with a smirk he brought the pillow back, over his head, and brought it down across Sirius's head as hard as he could.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius shot straight up and bed and glared right at James, "what do you think you're doing, Potter?"

"Waking you up," James said with a roll of his eyes, "If you don't hurry we won't have time to eat breakfast. Actually I'll just leave you up here and go eat breakfast anyway."

"Breakfast? No! Wait, I'll be ready in five minutes!" Sirius exclaimed as he jumped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom.

James and Remus looked at each other and laughed. Peter walked in the room rubbing his eyes, "what happened?" he asked groggily.

"Oh, here's another one," groaned James, "Pete, if you're not ready by the time Sirius is we're going to breakfast without you."

Peter's ears perked up, James wanted him to sit with them. With a squeak he hurried off behind Sirius to the showers.

Exactly five minutes later Sirius emerged out of the showers feeling refreshed. He marched to the stairs that led to the Gryffindor Common Room and turned to his friends, "Well, what are you waiting for? Breakfast awaits!"

"What about Peter?" Remus asked with his eyebrows raised.

"He'll catch up." Sirius waved his hand and proceeded down the staircase.

James and Remus looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, following Sirius down the steps from the Boy's Dormitory.

"Okay, I'm ready you guys!" Peter squeaked as he wobbled out of the shower, his hair still wet from trying to hurry, "you guys?"

"Oh, rats," Peter pouted as he wobbled out of the Boy's Dormitory, hoping to catch up with his new friends.

* * *

The very first class the first year Gryffindors had was Potions with the Slytherins. Lily entered the Potions classroom with her new friend Mary on one side of her, and Severus on the other. The three of them sat at a table, and sat their new cauldrons in front of them.

"Oh, Severus, isn't this exciting?" Lily squealed excitingly, "our first Hogwarts class!"

Severus chuckled at his friend, "This is potions, Lily, I'm not sure if you'll really like it"

Lily tilted her head at Severus, "Of course I will, silly! I'm going to love all of my classes," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well my cousin told me that Slughorn picks favorites pretty quickly," Mary said to them, "and if you're his favorite you can get away with almost anything."

Just as she said this a short pudgy man, who looked to be about in his thirties, walked through the classroom with a bright smile, "Hello children! Welcome to your first class of Hogwarts. I am Professor Slughorn, and in case you didn't already notice this is Potions class."

"You don't say?" mumbled a boy in the back just loud enough for Lily to hear. She turned to see it was the curly haired boy, Sirius, who she had met on the boats. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to the professor.

"Now for today's lesson we are going to start out simple," Slughorn began to explain, "Now, if you will turn to your Potions books to page 12. We are going to make a potion that cures boils."

Lily opened her book and quickly turned the pages to the directions for the boil cure potion. Once Slughorn set them off to work, Lily quickly set her cauldron to the required temperature and organized the ingredients in front of her and prepared her for the potion.

"Gosh, Lily, you can slow down you know," Mary laughed, "You have all class period to do this."

"Shh!" Lily hissed as she read through the directions again, "I can't concentrate with you talking to me."

Mary raised her hands in innocence with a smile, "well excuse me," she said sarcastically with a laugh as she put her attention back on her own potion.

Lily added the required ingredients needed for the potion while the cauldron was on the flame. She then carefully she took it off the flame and added the final ingredient, porcupine quills. The potion instantly turned red, and after Lily heated it for a couple of more minutes it turned light pink.

"Why, that's a perfect potion!" exclaimed Slughorn when he made his way over to Lily's table to examine their work, "15 points to Gryffindor!"

Lily absolutely beamed, "Thank you, Professor Slughorn."

"Say, Miss Evans, I'm having a get together in a couple of weeks for just a select couple of students," Slughorn explained excitingly, "would you be interested in coming?"

"Yes, of course, Professor!" Lily said with excitement.

"Splendid! Look for my owl!" Slughorn exclaimed happily as he proceeded to inspect the other student's potions. He looked at Mary's red potion and smiled, "You too, Miss MacDonald."

Lily and Mary beamed at each other excitingly. It was only her first day and she was already doing excellent in school. Lily's smile soon turned to a frown as she wrinkled her nose in disgust at an awful odor. "What is that smell?"

As if on cue, a shriek came from a table in the back, "Peter, you're supposed to take the cauldron off the flames before you heat it!"

"I'm sorry Remus," Peter squeaked hectically, "I'll buy you some new shoes, I swear!"

James and Sirius were dying laughing at the scene in front of them. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust, not only because of the smell, but because they thought this situation was funny! She didn't think she was going to like that group of boys at all.


End file.
